On May 29, 2013 Vincent Autin and Bruno Boileau became the first same-sex couple to marry in France. The two men exchanged vows in Montpellier. The ceremony was broadcast live on French TV.
The Socialist mayor of Montpellier, Helene Mandroux, conducted the ceremony, announcing “I now pronounce you united in marriage.” Her announcement was met with applause from the guests, as Frank Sinatra’s ‘Love and Marriage’ was played. Earlier in the ceremony, Ms Mandroux said marriage was about “the same rights for everybody”. The law legalising gay marriage was “a stage in the modernisation of our country”, she added.
Rolf Danner 